People who are steeped in Europe of the 20th Century know that
social and political catastrophes are always
possible. Accominotti
and Eichengreen look back at the end of the First Globalisation,
and find that the sudden stop that hit Austria, Germany and Hungary
(1925-1932) was similar to what hit Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and
Ireland (2006-2012).

Jon
Krakauer in the New Yorker resolves a mystery involving
the outdoors, rooted in plant biology and linking back to World
War II.

A video with a discussion
with Frank
Dikotter on the early days of the Chinese revolution, which
helps us better understand the notion of `land reform'.

A
great story by Colin Dickey in the most excellent Lapham's
Quarterly, about the early explorations of the seas and of the
Arctic Circle, and the conquest of scurvy.

Why
Microsoft Word must Die: a nice explanation of why people who
know about computers have a problem with Microsoft Word, by Charlie
Stross.

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